


Maid

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-02
Updated: 2012-08-02
Packaged: 2017-11-11 07:25:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/476065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tavros has a bad day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maid

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

AT: kARKAT,  
AT: kARKAT, uH, aRE YOU THERE,  
AT: hELLO,  
AT: kARKAT,  
AT: kARKAT, aRE YOU THERE,  
AT: oH GOD, pLEASE ANSWER ME,  
AT: kARKAT PLEASE,  
AT: hELLO, kARKAT,  
AT: kARKAT,  
AT: oH GOD NO, nO, kARKAT PLEASE ANSWER ME,  
AT: kARKAT, kARKAT,  
AT: oH GOD,

adiosToreador [AT] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

Tavros dropped the messenger, curling up tightly into a ball as warm brown tears shamelessly streamed down his face. He lay cowering underneath a staircase somewhere in the lower levels of the meteor, staring down at his robotic legs and hoping to all that was good and holy that he didn't start hearing that static.

Anything but the static.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was all too likely that Karkat was already dead. He knew he was in the room when it happened, but he didn't recall him getting out. Tavros's recollection of the incident was pretty hazy; even if it must have only occurred about an hour or so ago...It had all happened so fast. He'd been testing out your new legs by taking some sweet strides across the room, feeling pretty damn happy about being able to walk again, when he saw Aradia get up from her computer. She made her way towards Sollux, who was busy being excitedly pestering by Feferi and then just....Punched him. Hard enough that he slammed against the wall and lost all consciousness. Or possibly even died, you recalled seeing yellow blood trailing on the wall. Feferi didn't have any time to react before Aradia then smacked her as well, knocking her to the ground and mercilessly pummeling her to death. Everyone in the room instantly stopped what they were doing and watched in stunned, horrified silence. The loud static noises emanating from the Aradiabot were drowned out by Tavros's screaming.

He didn't look back as he ran to the transportilizer. He'd felt no shame at time; it was every troll for themselves.

He didn't look back even when he spent an hour running through the twisting corridors of the meteor's lower levels. He then carelessly fell down a flight of stairs and promptly winded up where he was now, cowering underneath the staircase and hoping that he had just gotten as far away from her as he possibly could. The mental image of Feferi's brutalized corpse would be forever scarred in his mind. He stared down at his shirt, noticing the light splatters of magenta staining it. He hadn't even been standing anywhere near her, all that blood. It fucking got everywhere. He almost felt like throwing up as he remembered the beating, it was just so horrible. He swore he could hear her bones cracking and her flesh splitting even against that *horrible* brain-piercing static.

More tears began to stream down his face. No, he wasn't close to Feferi. They had never really spoken much, but he knew that she was amongst the sweetest and kindest in their group (wasn't saying much, but still). She didn't deserve to die like this. Even worse still, she was the Witch of Life; granted, he wasn't exactly sure what it was she did, but he knew she had healing abilities. There was no one left now to heal the others now.

The others...

Taking in a deep breath, Tavros then attempted to remember who else was in the room; he recalled Feferi, Sollux, Karkat and Terezi present there. He had no idea who else had fled; he was just too busy trying to get away. He felt more than a little guilty about leaving them all to die, but what else could he have done? End up like Feferi? He might have been a coward, but at least he was still alive. It was too late now to revive them anyway; Prospit and Derse had been destroyed. He'd found that out the hard way.

Minutes passed. Tavros's racing heart slowed slightly, though his breaths were still ragged and irregular. He darted his eyes around, cautiously peeking up from underneath the staircase. There was nothing around but an empty, decrepit hallway, which winded towards the left and into the darkness. He then stared down at the messenger, reaching for it with a very shaky, nervous hand. Who should he contact now? The lack of any response from Karkat was extremely worrying, and he feared the worst for Terezi as well. She was a sweet girl, albeit rather psychotic, but he knew her well enough. She was his friend. Tears began to well up again as Tavros remembered his FLARPing days alongside Terezi and...

Aradia.

His throat locked up. He remembered it all; her cheery attitude, her loving smile, her wonderfully supportive and kind attitude... He shook his head, more bitter tears flooding out. The Aradia he knew as his friend had been dead for a very long time now. This thing was just a soulless, automaton copy of her, and now it'd gone berserk and was hunting them all down. He wasn't able to blame Equius for this, however. Surely he couldn't have foreseen this, and it was thanks to him that he could walk again. Staring down at his legs, Tavros began to wonder if they would start to malfunction as well. They couldn't possibly do that, right? No, that was just stupid.

Shaking the thoughts away, Tavros got up, taking out his lance from the modus as he pocketed the messenger. He lovingly stroked the weapon, feeling himself begin to calm down a bit with it in his grasp. It made him feel more secure, it made him feel braver. It made him feel a bit more confident, even. He was going to try and contact Equius next; not only was he the naturally STRONGEST of their group, but he'd built the Aradiabot with his own hands! Surely he would know of a weakness, anything they could use to stop her. Teaming up with him was everyone's best hope of survival.

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT]

AT: hELLO, uH, eQUIUS,  
AT: pLEASE ANSWER ME, tHIS IS URGENT,  
AT: sOMETHING REALLY BAD'S HAPPENED,  
AT: aND i, wE, nEED YOUR HELP,  
AT: dESPERATELY,  
AT: sOMETHING'S GONE WRONG WITH aRADIA, tERRIBLY WRONG,,,  
AT: sHE KILLED fEFERI, aND i, uH, i HAVE NO IDEA WHERE tEREZI AND kARKAT ARE,  
AT: bUT i'M SERIOUSLY WORRIED, sINCE kARKAT DIDN'T ANSWER ME WHEN i, uH, i TRIED MESSAGING HIM,  
AT: uH, hELLO,  
AT: eQUIUS,  
AT: eQUIUS,  
AT: nO, pLEASE, pLEASE aNSWER ME, oH gOD PLEASE eQUIUS,  
CT: D --> I am already aware of the dire situation involving Aradia  
AT: eQUIUS,  
AT: oH THANK gOD yOU'RE STILL ALIVE, i AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU RIGHT NOW,  
CT: D --> I am relieved to see you have not e%pired as well, Nitram  
CT: D --> Where are you currently  
AT: uH,  
AT: i DON'T KNOW, eXACTLY,  
AT: i RAN AWAY, aLRIGHT, i WAS JUST SO SCARED,  
AT: lOOKS LIKE i'M BY SOME STAIRS, sOMEWHERE,  
CT: D --> Nepeta, Captor and I are currently barricaded within our room  
AT: wAIT, sOLLUX,  
CT: D --> Correct  
CT: D --> He's survived, though is still unconscious  
AT: oH MY, tHAT IS WONDERFUL TO HEAR,  
AT: sO,  
AT: yOU'VE VISITED THE LAB RIGHT,  
CT: D --> Correct  
CT: D --> Suffice to say it was not a pleasant sight to return to  
CT: D --> Aradia had since left, but I was able to deduce it was her doing due to the injuries Feferi sustained  
AT: oKAY, aND WHAT ABOUT kARKAT AND tEREZI,  
CT: D --> Deceased  
CT: D --> I am sorry  
AT: }:(  
AT: eQUIUS,  
AT: i SWEAR i DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE THEM TO DIE,  
AT: i JUST, i, i JUST GOT SO SCARED,  
AT: pLEASE, yOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, i HAD TO GET AWAY, i DIDN'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THEY DID eQUIUS,  
AT: iF YOU'D SEEN HOW BRUTALLY sHE BEAT POOR fEFERI TO DEATH,  
AT: i COULDN'T DO ANYTHING BUT, uH, wATCH,  
AT: sHE JUST KEPT HITTING HER, aND HITTING HER,  
AT: iT WAS EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT SHE'D DONE TO vRISKA,  
AT: oH GOD, i CAN STILL REMEMBER ALL THE GORE,  
AT: aND THAT STATIC,  
AT: i CAN STILL HEAR THE STATIC, iT WON'T GO AWAY,  
AT: eQUIUS,  
AT: eQUIUS, i'M SO SORRY,  
AT: i, uH, i, i DIDN'T WANT TO END UP LIKE HER eQUIUS,  
AT: i DIDN'T WANT TO DIE,  
AT: tHOUGH IN RETROSPECT, mAYBE,  
AT: mAYBE i SHOULD HAVE,  
CT: D --> Nitram, please calm down  
CT: D --> L00k  
CT: D --> I usually dislike insisting, even towards one of a lower caste, but I am doing so right now  
CT: D --> I insist you head back towards the lab  
AT: wHAT,  
AT: aRE YOU CRAZY,  
AT: i uH, i CAN'T POSSIBLY GO BACK THERE, i, i WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT,  
CT: D --> Nitram  
CT: D --> I do not have time to argue with you  
CT: D --> Just return to the lab, and we can converse further there  
CT: D --> I insist  
AT: bUT,  
AT: aLRIGHT, aLRIGHT,  
AT: fINE,  
AT: i'LL HEAD BACK UP THERE,  
CT: D --> Thank you  
CT: D --> Contact me only once you are nearby, and I shall tell you how to reach us  
AT: wAIT,  
AT: wHAT ABOUT eRIDAN, aND kANAYA,  
CT: D --> I am unsure of their locations  
CT: D --> Kanaya has not answered me recently, though I did speak to her before  
CT: D --> She stated that she and Eridan were making their way to the lab  
CT: D --> This was before Nepeta and I had gotten there  
AT: oH DEAR,  
AT: i rEALLY HOPE THEY'RE ALRIGHT,  
CT: D --> As do I  
CT: D --> Or at least, I hope that Maryam is alright  
AT: hEH,  
AT: aNYWAY, uM,  
AT: tHANK YOU SO SO MUCH eQUIUS,  
AT: i, i, uH, i, i sERIOUSLY OWE YOU EVERYTHING,  
CT: D --> Good luck Nitram  
CT: D --> I fear we will all need it

centaursTesticle [CT] ceased trolling adiosToreador [AT]

Tavros stood still for some time, nervously shaking as he stared blankly at the messenger in his hands, before then storing it in his modus, his heart pounding uncomfortably. The lab, why the lab? He didn't want to see those bodies again. He didn't want to see the friends he left behind to die.

Tavros hugged his lance close towards him, brown tears once again streaming down his cheeks. He didn't care; he had to let it all out, it's not like Vriska was here to judge him. He had no idea where she was, and frankly didn't want to know. Though, maybe she was behind this? It was a stretch, but then again with Vriska concerned anything was possible. Either way he wasn't talking to her, even if her god-tier powers could have proved useful against Aradia.

Pushing the spider-bitch out of his mind, Tavros wiped away his tears and looked up the flight of stairs, taking a deep breath and clutching his weapon tightly before then finally moving up. His metallic feet clacked loudly on each step, even as he attempted to soften his footfalls. He would occasionally look behind, perking his ears up and clinging on to his lance for dear life. Eventually, Tavros made his way towards the top, taking one final glance behind him before then hurrying through the corridor in-front of him, before abruptly reaching two branching paths. Though he wasn't certain, considering his panicked state of mind at the time, he recalled that he might have come in from the left path, which trailed off into pitch blackness. Tavros cautiously stepped into the darkness, gripping his lance as tightly as he could and feeling the wall to make his way through. He didn't recall it being this dark when he ran past it before, though he might have been too scared to notice...somehow.

Eventually, Tavros made his way into an area of rather dim, flickering light. He looked up, noticing a rust-looking lamp attached on the ceiling above. It really didn't help lighten the mood, but at least he could see now. It'd took him about an hour to get down here, so he had a lot of backtracking to do before he'd be able to reach the lab. He still greatly dreaded having to return, though hopefully, Equius might have done something about the bodies. Breathing in, he then reluctantly pressed onward, feeling his heart still pound uncomfortably fast against his chest. Taking deeper and slower breaths did little to soothe it, though they did help in making him feel slightly calmer. He'd need to be at his calmest state of mind to deal with reentering the lab.

As he continued further in, his mind began to dwell on what might have happened to everyone that wasn't present in the lab. He was aware that Aradia had left, possibly to hunt them down. Equius and Nepeta were safe (for the time being) but what about Eridan, Kanaya, Gamzee and Vriska? Well, Vriska could have gone to hell for all he cared. Then there was Gamzee. He didn't know what to think about him, their history was...rather awkward to say the least. He'd had still been a good friend however, and Tavros would be there if he needed help. Retrieving the messenger from his modus, he decided to contact Gamzee and check if he was alright:

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

AT: gAMZEE,  
AT: gAMZEE ARE YOU, uH, tHERE,  
TC: honk.  
AT: oH MAN WHAT A RELIEF,  
AT: i WAS WORRIED SHE'D GOTTEN TO YOU,  
AT: nOW, uH, cAN YOU pLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE, eXACTLY,  
TC: HONK.  
AT: uHHHHHH,  
TC: honk.  
AT: oKAAAAAAY,  
AT: gAMZEE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE,  
AT: tHIS ISN'T HOW YOU USUALLY TYPE,  
TC: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  
TC: honk.  
AT: uH,  
TC: HONK.  
AT: uHHHHHHH,  
TC: honk.  
AT: uHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,  
TC: HOOOOOOOOOOOONK.  
TC: honk.  
TC: HONK.  
TC: honk.  
TC: HONK.  
AT: gAMZEE, pLEASE STOP,  
AT: yOU'RE, uH, REALLY FREAKING ME OUT WITH THIS,  
AT: tHIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR PRANKS OR, uM, wHATEVER THIS IS,  
TC: motherfucker, this is no prank.  
TC: I'M SERIOUS AS A MOTHERFUCKER CAN BE.  
TC: in fact...  
TC: I'M MORE SERIOUS THAN I'VE EVER BEEN IN MY ENTIRE MOTHERFUCKING LIFE.  
AT: uHHHHHHHH,  
TC: where you at my little motherfucker?  
TC: I STILL WANNA GET MY SMOOCHINGS ON.  
TC: ;o)  
AT: oH, gOD,  
AT: oH GOD,  
AT: uH, uH, uHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,  
TC: no need to be so upset, brother...  
TC: YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE ALIVE DURING IT.  
AT: uHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,,,,,  
TC: hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonk.  
TC: HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK.  
TC: hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonk.  
TC: HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK.

adiosToreador [AT] blocked terminallyCapricious [TC]

Tavros dropped the messenger once again, a look of utter horror spread over his face. This wasn't happening this *couldn't* be happening. Now on top of Aradia going rouge, Gamzee's decided to go batshit insane too. Tavros's heart pounded so hard that he almost felt it would explode, and part of him hoped it would. After about five full minutes of shock, he eventually managed to calm down, enough to reach for the fallen messenger with an extremely shaky hand. What now? Well, now he had to be on the look out for TWO threats; a killer robot and a deranged clown looking to make out with his corpse. And not to forget the demon that brought them here in the first place! He showing up would just be the icing on this crazy cake. It was practically the plot of an awful horror film!

Staring back at the messenger, he pondered on whether or not to tell Equius. Though he'd told him to only contact him once at the lab, Tavros felt this might have been urgent. He then shook his head, deciding to leave it for when he got up there. Surely they'd hold up until then, right? Tavros continued walking down the corridor ahead of him, attempting to retrace his steps back to the lab. He was thankful it'd been mostly linear so far, considering he'd gotten here in a mad, panicked dash. The corridor seemed to wind down forever, the dim lights above barely serving to properly illuminate as he moved in further. Whenever he closed his eyes, Tavros could clearly see Feferi's brutalized corpse clearly, and the blood-covered Aradiabot hovering over her. He'd tried to push it back by thinking happy thoughts, but they didn't help me. It was all in his head, horrible as it was. He'd have to ignore it and get to the lab.

What he should be focusing on is trying to survive. He'd done it back home; he could do it again, right? Clearly he was good enough at it, considering that he was still breathing. Holding his lance tightly, Tavros then attempted to calm himself down once more. He continued ignoring the faint static in his head as he proceeded further in. The dull sounds of his feet clanging on the floor did little to help soothe him, as he was constantly jumpy that they'd give him away. His robo-legs were excellent for running however, so if the worst came around he'd be ready to flee. Though, taking into consideration that Aradia's robot body also wouldn't be able to tire, he'd still have an issue. Tavros quickly shook the thoughts away, preferring not to dwell on the scenario.

An hour of walking passed. Tavros did little but move through this linear corridor, frequently glancing behind and gripping his lance as tightly as he could. It was intense and sluggish, with each minute feeling like an hour. He constantly fought back thoughts of what Aradia and Gamzee might have been doing, and how close they were to him. He had no real way of counting the time; he was going solely by intuition. Intuition which might have proved to be extremely off, for all he knew. The corridor eventually stopped ahead of him, winding off into another path towards the right. Did he even go through here? He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. This place didn't seem familiar, but again, he'd come here bawling in terror. Obviously he'd have missed some details. Though he still couldn't help but feel terrible, with this looming sense of dread and unease constantly hounding him. He knew he needed to stop worrying, it was detrimental and unhealthy, but he just couldn't. It was such a strong feeling, as if he just innately knew deep down that they were all...

Well, d00med.

He quickly shook the thought away. Tavros might have been a coward, and he might have been a loser, but he wasn't going to give up. So long as his heart still beat, he'd never give up. He wasn't going to die. Either they'd figure out some way to stop Aradia and Gamzee, or they'd escape the meteor, maybe even meet up with the humans. If optimism was all he had to feel better, then by god he was going to stay optimistic. Lost in thought, he only just noticed that he'd wound up at a dead end, transportilizer right in front of him. Tavros stood still, staring at it for some time as his heart pounded even more uncomfortably. Well, this was it. No backing out now, it was time to get back to the lab. Taking the deepest breaths he could, Tavros reluctantly moved a foot forward, quickly paced it back, and then eventually moved it onto the device, doing so with the other foot until both were on it. He'd just need to think about going to the lab, and poof he'd go. Easy as pie, right? He was ready now; he knew he had to go back there.

"Uh, why isn't this t-thing working?"

Tavros stammered out to no one in particular, taken aback by the device refusing to work. Did it sense his hesitation, somehow? This wasn't complicated; he'd thought about going to the lab, it should have taken him to the lab, why wasn't it taking him there? He lightly tapped on it. Okay, clearly he was doing something wrong here, so he'd just try it again. Tavros promptly stepped off, shaking his head and pacing around a little before quickly stepping back on it, only to find that it still refused to work. Seating himself down, Tavros whipped out the messenger and decided to contact Equius. Yes, he wasn't at the lab, but this was a bit of an emergency.

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT]

AT: uH, eQUIUS,  
CT: D --> Nitram  
CT: D --> Have you managed to reach the lab  
AT: nO, aCTUALLY, tHAT'S THE PROBLEM,  
AT: i'VE RUN INTO A BIT OF AN, uH, iSSUE HERE,  
CT: D --> What is it  
CT: D --> Are you injured  
CT: D --> Have the legs been damaged  
AT: oH, uH, nO i AM FINE, tHANKFULLY,  
AT: iT'S THIS TRANSPORTILIZER,  
AT: iT WON'T SEND ME THERE NO MATTER WHAT i DO,  
AT: i'VE MEAN, i'VE DONE THIS ALL BEFORE,  
AT: sO i REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE,  
CT: D --> Oh Fiddlesticks  
CT: D --> How could I have neglected to mention this  
AT: uH, mENTION WHAT, eXACTLY,  
CT: D --> I had destroyed the transportilizers in the lab  
AT: uH, yOU uH, yOU dID WHAT,  
AT: wHY WOULD YOU DO THAT,  
CT: D --> It was to ensure that the Aradiabot would not be able to return  
CT: D --> Fret not though  
CT: D --> Look around for a ventilation shaft  
CT: D --> They are quite numerous around this meteor  
AT: oKAY, oKAY I'M LOOKING,  
AT: hEY,  
AT: i CAN SEE ONE RIGHT ABOVE ME,  
AT: iT'S NOT EVEN TOO HIGH, i THINK MIGHT BE ABLE TO REACH IT EASILY,  
AT: wHAT A STROKE OF LUCK, hUH, }:)  
CT: D --> Yes, that sounds most e%ellent  
CT: D --> You'll need to traverse through the vents until you can either reach the lab or directly to our room  
CT: D --> It will vary depending on how close you are to us  
AT: alRIGHT, tHANK YOU AGAIN, eQUIUS,  
AT: oH, wAIT,  
AT: i JUST REMEMBERED,  
CT: D --> Yes  
AT: eQUIUS,  
AT: iT'S gAMZEE,  
CT: D --> The Highbl00d  
CT: D --> Has something unfortunate befallen him  
AT: eRRRR, uH,  
AT: wELL YEAH, sORTA,  
AT: hE'S GONE BONKERS TOO,  
AT: i CONTACTED HIM AND HE JUST WOULDN'T STOP, uH, hONKING,  
AT: aND THEN HE SAID HE, uH,  
AT: uH, uMMM,  
AT: wELL uH, hE SAID HE,  
AT: uH,  
AT: hE SAID HE WANTED TO KILL ME,  
AT: yEAH,  
CT: D --> This is most distressing  
CT: D --> Yet also wonderful to hear  
AT: uHHHHHH WHAT,  
AT: hOW CAN THIS POSSIBLY BE, uH, wONDERFUL,  
CT: D --> The Highbl00d is finally living up to his royal caste  
CT: D --> Granted, that may make him a threat now, but it is still a most e%ellent occasion  
AT: uHHHHH, i DOUBT tHERE'S ANYTHING EXCELLENT ABOUT THIS,  
AT: cONSIDERING, thE FACT THAT HE, uH, wANTS TO KILL ME,  
AT: tHAT, uH, IS REALLY NOT, eXCELLENT,  
AT: aT ALL,  
CT: D --> Oh indeed  
CT: D --> Though considering you being of vastly lower blood, him choosing to murder you isn't necessarily, well  
AT: e, eXCUSE ME,  
CT: D --> Oh dear  
CT: D --> Please forget that Id just said that  
AT: uH, oKAY,  
AT: lOOK, uM,  
AT: i'M JUST GOING TO GET IN THE VENTS NOW,  
AT: i'LL CONTACT YOU AGAIN IF i NEED ANY HELP IN THERE,  
CT: D --> Good luck again, Nitram

adiosToreador [AT] ceased trolling centaursTesticle [CT]

Well, that sure went wonderfully. He wasn't mad at Equius, but he couldn't deny the awkwardness of the situation. Then again, everything with Equius was kind of awkward. Tavros shook it off, and directed his attention towards the ventilation shaft right above his head. It was conveniently low enough for him to reach just by tip-toeing, and wide enough so that he was able to fit his horns in with ease. It was rather dark inside, as expected, but Tavros's eyes quickly adjusted. To his pleasant surprise, he found that it wasn't very dirty or dusty, though the air felt quite chilly, especially the further he went in. He also still had to keep his head down thanks to his long horns, but it was an overall easy crawl through.

The real issue was the fact that he had absolutely no idea where to go; there were so many paths and turns in here, it was almost labyrinthian! He'd just randomly decided to go right each time, fearing that might have come back to bite him in the ass. Then there was the fact that he began to feel just a bit claustrophobic, fearing the narrow walls would close in and trap him in here. He shook his head, attempting to push the fears out of his mind.

After what felt like ten minutes of crawling, Tavros then heard the honking. It was faint at first, enough for him to have disregarded it as his overactive imagination. However, the sounds only continued to grow louder and louder, until they got to the point where he could no longer ignore them. He clutched his lance tightly, feeling his heart pound as adrenaline surged through his body. Oh god, what if he as in here? This wasn't the place for a fight at all, especially against someone as strong as Gamzee! The sounds appeared to have been coming from the left. He must have been right above him now. He shut his eyes, thinking on what he should have done now; follow the sounds and see what Gamzee was doing, or crawl as far away as he could? The latter option was the most tempting, but what if someone had been hurt? He looked down at the lance in his hand, staring at it unblinkingly for some time before then finally deciding to try and get away from the honking. It didn't sound as if anyone was in trouble, so why risk it?

After five minutes of ignoring the honking as best he could, straining not to look back as he held onto his lance with a sweaty grip, Tavros finally reached a ventilation graft, and stared down through the slits at what was unmistakably the computer lab. He froze still, eyes widening as he felt his heart begin to race. Well, here he was. Tavros held his breath in for some time, still feeling reluctant about entering again. Moving his body backwards, he closed his eyes, stretched out his robot legs, and began kicking at the grating. They were strong enough to push it out with only three kicks, and he then heard it loudly crash onto the ground. Gulping, he then closed his eyes, pocketing his lace before then jumping down, landing gracefully on his robotic feet. He hesitated opening his eyes, afraid of what he was going to see. The odor of dry blood was thick in the air, and he opened his eyes to see Feferi's ravaged corpse lying not far from him.

Tavros quickly backed away in disgust, holding his mouth with both hands as tears began to well up. He tried so hard to pull his gaze away from the mangled body, but he couldn't. His eyes were locked onto her bloodied carcass, which lay in a shallow puddle of magenta blood and stared right at her face, which was mangled beyond recognition. Feferi's goggles had cracked apart during the beating, the glass piercing into the skin of her bulging eyes, which lifelessly gazed up at the ceiling. Her nose had been broken terribly, dried blood pooling from her nostrils and along the edges of her mouth, lips swollen.

The more he continued to look at her, the more he felt his stomach churn with utter disgust, until Tavros finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He got up to his legs, stumbling towards the wall as he then vomited out onto the floor for almost a full minute. Wiping his mouth after he finished coughing out, he promptly decided to place a hand over his eyes, in an attempt to deter him from staring again. He leant against the wall for support as he moved himself away from the corpse. When he did open his eyes again, he was greeted by a mess of bright, candy red blood splattering the walls in front of him, bits of teal mixing in. He fell over, holding his mouth in shock. The blood trailed off into a corner in the far distance, where he could make out two bodies huddled together:

Karkat and Terezi...

He should have just walked away then. He should have just taken out his messenger, contacted Equius and got the directions out of this horrible place. But he couldn't. Yet, somehow, he was being compelled to see their bodies. Attempting to ignore the overwhelming sense of curiosity, Tavros took several steps forward and surveyed the room; the horn pile was towards the left, with the two bodies huddled towards the north. Feferi's body lay only a few feet away from the pile. He looked over towards the computers, noticing that they were all either thrown to the floor or torn apart. The two transportilizer in the center of the room had large dents in the middle, Equius's handiwork. Up above, he saw what looked like another entrance to the ventilation systems. He'd need to contact Equius later to ensure this was to vent towards the room.

For whatever reason, the room also appeared to have become much darker, yet there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the lights sources. It almost seemed that the shadows around were just thicker and darker. Feeling rather unnerved, he decided to take his lance out, tightening his grip as he then made his way towards the bodies. His steps were slow and reluctant; he didn't really want to, yet he somehow felt compelled. He crossed the horn pile, trying his best to look around Feferi's corpse as he walked towards the huddled bodies.

Finally arriving by the two bodies, Tavros froze still, staring blankly at them for some time. He was relieved to find that Karkat's body wasn't anywhere near as mangled as Feferi's; outside of the gaping hole in his chest and the large amounts of red blood around, looked pretty decent, his eyes closed peacefully. Terezi lay by his lap, her red glasses thrown askew onto the ground, cracked apart. She took was in a decent condition, though he noticed her neck appeared to have been twisted at an odd angle. Apparently Aradia had cornered them here, and slaughtered them both before then making her way out. Tavros seated himself down on the floor, sighing sadly as he looked away from the bodies. He still couldn't help but feel responsible for this; even though he knew he'd have just ended up in a worse state than Feferi if he'd even tried to fight. Though maybe he should have died a hero, than continue to live as a coward. Vriska was right about everything. He was stupid and weak.

Tavros closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he tried to push the thoughts out of his mind. He then placed his lance back into his modus, taking out the messenger:

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT]

AT: hEY uH, eQUIUS, gUESS WHAT,  
AT: i'M FINALLY AT THE LAB NOW,  
CT: D --> Good to hear  
AT: i sEE A VENT UP ABOVE, iS THAT THE ONE YOU USED,  
AT: tHE, uH, gRATING APPEARS TO BE INTACT,  
CT: D --> That is the one, yes  
CT: D --> I'd placed the grating back to give the impression that it hadn't been entered  
CT: D --> Though considering Aradia's intelligence, I'm STRONGLY unsure of how effective this would have been  
CT: D --> Ensure you do the same though, just to be safe  
CT: D --> Once you're in the vents, I can then give you the exact directions  
AT: aLRIGHT, i'M MAKING MY WAY THERE NOW,  
AT: hEY, uH, iF YOU DON'T MIND ME ASKING, wHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE BODIES,  
AT: iT WASN'T PLEASANT TO RETURN TO aT ALL, aND THEY, uH, dESERVE BETTER THAN THIS,  
AT: }:(  
CT: D --> I'm aware  
CT: D --> But my focus was on comforting Nepeta and carrying Captor out to safety  
AT: cOMFORTING nEPETA,  
AT: wHY, iS SHE OKAY,  
CT: D --> I am afraid not  
CT: D --> She broke down crying the moment we found Vantas and Pyrope's bodies  
CT: D --> She still appears to be quite devastated  
CT: D --> It is depressing seeing her like this  
AT: oH, nO, tHAT'S TERRIBLE,  
AT: dO YOU THINK THAT MAYBE, i COULD, tALK TO HER LATER,  
AT: i FEEL REALLY AWFUL ABOUT THIS,  
CT: D --> You could try I guess, but she hasn't been very talkative  
CT: D --> I am quite disheartened by this as well  
CT: D --> Espe%ially since the Aradiabot was of my design  
CT: D --> I made her, Nitram  
AT: nO, nO, eQUIUS,  
AT: pLEASE DON'T, uH, bE THAT WAY,  
AT: yOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAVE fORESEEN THIS,  
AT: nONE OF US COULD HAVE,  
AT: uMM, aNYWAY, i'M NEAR THE VENT SHAFT RIGHT NOW,  
AT: jUST gIVE ME SOME TIME TO PUSH THE GRATING,  
AT: tHIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARDER,  
AT: dUE TO ME LACKING YOUR SUPERIOR STRENGTH,  
AT: hEY i'M FINALLY IN,  
AT: }:D  
CT: D --> E%ellent  
AT: tHE GRATING IS LIGHTER THAN IT SEEMS, fORTUNATELY FOR ME,  
AT: oKAY, i'M IN NOW,  
CT: D --> Good  
CT: D --> Now, have you placed the grating back  
CT: D --> We've still got to play safe, you see  
AT: uH, i'M TRYING,  
AT: oKAY, i, uH, i THINK i'VE GOT IT,  
AT: nOW WHAT,  
CT: D --> Go north  
CT: D --> You'll eventually see a cross path  
CT: D --> Take the left route, and keep going left  
CT: D --> Then go straight  
CT: D --> After some time, you should eventually reach us  
AT: uH,  
AT: oKAY i THINK I'VE GOT IT,  
CT: D --> Do not be afraid to contact me if you need further help, Nitram  
AT: aLRIGHT, i SHALL KEEP THAT IN MIND,  
AT: uH, sO HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU, eXACTLY,  
CT: D --> I don't know the exact stretch of time  
CT: D --> And recall that I was carrying both Captor and Nepeta with me  
CT: D --> So, I estimate it might have taken us about two hours  
CT: D --> Not counting the times we took the wrong turns  
AT: tHAT, dOESN'T SOUND TOO BAD,  
AT: yEAH i THINK i CAN, mANAGE,  
AT: tHANK YOU SO MUCH, aGAIN,  
AT: i'LL HOPEFULLY SEE YOU SOON,  
CT: D – Take care, Nitram

adiosToreador [AT] ceased trolling centaursTesticle [CT]

Pocketing the messenger, Tavros made his way through the vent, running the directions Equius had given through in his mind, repeating it out load a few times so as not to forget. These weren't so different from the vents he'd wormed through previously, though they were thankfully wider, which made it easier for him to fit his horns as he crawled through. North, well that was easy considering it was just a straight path so far. Throughout the crawl, he'd perked his ears up, keeping on high alert in case Gamzee's honking would start up again. Thankfully enough, he heard nothing, and soon got to the cross-path Equius had mentioned.

Take the right route and just keep going right...right? Tavros shook his head, racking his brains for the answer. No, Left! It was definitely the left path.

Right? He sighed, and decided to go to the left, feeling at least 99% sure that was what Equius had said. He crawled for some time, turning left whenever he reached a dead end. It was a long, dull crawl through, and he almost felt his back grow a bit sore from kneeling this long. The robotic legs on the other hand were as optimal as ever. Equius was an excellent craftsman, even if he was weird. As turned left, Tavros's mind began to dwell on Nepeta; he knew she liked Karkat and Terezi, but he didn't think she'd be that devastated at their deaths.

He felt absolutely terrible. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He took out his messenger: this was going to be a long crawl, and he still had a long ways to go. Might as well talk to a friend in the meantime....

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]

AT: hEY, nEPETA,  
AT: oH RIGHT,  
AT: *i dISREGARD MY CAT ALLERGIES tO,  
AT: cONVERSE WITH THE GREAT AND MIGHTY HUNTRESS,  
AT: i WALK TOWARDS HER CAVE WITH AN OFFERING, hOPING TO APPEASE HER,*  
AT: *i THEN, wAIT BY THE CAVE VERY PATIENTLY, kNOWING THAT THE HUNTRESS IS IN MOURNING*  
AT: oKAY MAYBE YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE ROLEPLAYING, i UNDERSTAND,  
AT: lOOK nEPETA, i JUST WANT TO TALK,  
AT: pLEASE,  
AC: :33 < tavros?  
AT: hEY, }:)  
AC: :33 < equius mentioned you were coming, are you okay?  
AT: i'M, uH, i'M fINE,  
AT: oKAY, mAYBE i'M MORE THAN A LITTLE SHAKEN UP,  
AT: bUT i'LL MANAGE,  
AT: iT'S YOU i'M, wELL, uH, cONCERED FOR HERE,  
AT: i CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANOTHER FRIEND,  
AC: :33 < karkat...  
AC: :33 < terezi.....  
AC: :33 < :((  
AT: }:(  
AT: i FEEL SO HORRIBLE ABOUT IT TOO, tHEY DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE,  
AT: oH YEAH, aND fEFERI,  
AT: sHE DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE LIKE THAT,  
AC: :33 < oh, sollux!  
AC: :33 < he's going to be so so sad when he wakes up :((  
AC: :33 < they were really close  
AT: }:(  
AT: lOOk,  
AT: wE ALL NEED TO STICK TOGETHER, aLRIGHT,  
AT: iT'S WHAT kARKAT WOULD HAVE WANTED,  
AC: :33 < oh karkat....  
AT: :33 < excuse me, please, i just need a minute  
AT: oH NO, nEPETA,  
AT: i'M uH, SO, sO SORRY, i,  
AT: i SHOULDN'T HAVE RUN AWAY, i SHOULD HAVE,  
AT: i SHOULD HAVE STAYED BEHIND AND uH, aND FOUGHT aRADIA,  
AT: eVEN IF SHE WOULD HAVE JUST KILLED ME,  
AT: iT WOULD BE BETTER THAN LIVING ON,  
AT: aS A WEAK, wORTHLESS COWARD,  
AC: :33 < no tavros, please don't say that!  
AC: :33 < it's not your fault this happened  
AC: :33 < i don't know how'd i'd take it if you'd died as well  
AT: oH, nEPETA i, uH, i,  
AT: }:')  
AT: yOU'RE A GOOD FRIEND, yOU KNOW THAT,  
AT: sO, uHH,  
AT: i GUESS YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE ROLEPLAYING NOW,  
AT: i MEAN, i CAN DEFINATELY UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULDN'T,  
AT: bUT IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG CRAWL, aND, uH, wELL, i THINK IT COULD HELP CHEER YOU UP A LITTLE BIT,  
AT: i JUST HATE SEEING YOU LIKE THIS,  
AT: }:(  
AC: :33 < *ac emerges from her cave, her head hung low*  
AT: *i CAUTIOUSLY APPROACH THE HUNTRESS, aND lEAVE THE OFFERING BY HER,*  
AC: :33 < *ac looks at the offering, but does not feel like eating*  
AC: :33 < *she paws at the ground sadly, and then curls on the ground*  
AT: i,  
AT: oH WAIT,  
AT: *i CAUTIOUSLY APPROACH THE HUNTRESS, gENTLY STROKING HER SILKY FUR WITH MUCH CARE,  
AT: i CAREFULLY SEAT HERSELF BY HER LAP, fOR SOME TIME,  
AT: cONTINIUNG TO iGNORE MY CAT ALLERGIES, fOR THE SAKE OF THIS FANTASY SCENARIO,*  
AC: :33 < *ac moves her head up, noticing the kindly boy sitting by her*  
AC: :33 < *she then affectionately licks his cheek with one of her tongues and purrs lightly*  
AT: *i, sMILE UPON FEELING THE GREAT HUNTRESSES, tOUNGE LICK AGAINST MY CHEEK*  
AT: *i HOPE SHE IS FEELING, mUCH BETTER NOW, eVEN DESPITE THE TRAGEDY*  
AC: :33 < :))  
AC: :33 < thank you tavros  
AT: }:)  
AT: oH, i'M STILL CRAWLING THROUGH THESE VENTS,  
AT: i DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE ME, i'M AFRAID,  
AC: :33 < i hope you'll get here soon  
AC: hmmm  
AT: wHAT IS IT, iS SOMETHING WRONG,  
AC: :33 < oh no!!!  
AT: wHAT,  
AC: :33 < it's sollux  
AC: :33 < he's missing! :OO  
AT: oH DEAR,  
AT: tHIS IS REALLY BAD,  
AT: uM, wHERE COULD HE HAVE GONE,  
AC: :33 < i don't know!  
AC: :33 < equius just came in and told me, he looks concerned  
AT: hE COULDN'T HAVE GONE, tOO GONE FAR,  
AT: i'D HOPE,  
AT: oKAY, uH, hOW LARGE IS THE ROOM YOU'RE IN,  
AC: :33 < it's purrity large! there's a big pile of robot parts, and lots of vents  
AT: :33 < he could have pawsibly crawled through one...  
AC: :33 < but why would he just leave without telling us?? this is purrculiar  
AC: :33 < wait  
AC: :33 < i think i can hear something? :??  
AC: :33 < equius just went to check it too  
AT: nEPETA,  
AT: nEPETA WHAT CAN YOU HEAR,  
AC: :33 < *ac perks her exquisite cat ears furrther*  
AC: :33 < hmmmm  
AC: :33 < it sounds like static? purrhaps it's from one of equius's broken robots??  
AC: :33 < i'll go check it out, i'll be back soon!  
AT: oH GOD,  
AT: oH GOD nEPETA PLEASE DON'T GO,  
AT: nEPETA, gET BACK,  
AT: nEPETA,  
AT: hELLO, nEPETA,  
AT: nEPETA PLEASE ANSWER,  
AT: nEPETA, nEPETA,  
AT: oH GOD, uH, iT'S BEEN ALMOST A MINUTE, nEPETA WHERE ARE YOU, pLEASE ANSWER ME,  
AC:  
AC:  
AT: uH, nEPETA,  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AT: uH,  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC: 0  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC: 0  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AT: uHHHH,  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AT: uHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,  
AC: 000000000000000000000000000  
AT: nEPETA, wHAT'S GOING ON,  
AC: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC:  
AC: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
AC: 00000000000000000000000000000  
AC: 00000000000000000000000000000  
AC: 00000000000000000000000000000  
AT: uHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,  
AT: oH GOD,  
AT: oH GOD NO,  
AC: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
AT: nO,  
AT: nO, nO NO NO NO NO NO NO,  
AC: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
AT: nO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO,,,,  
AC: 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
AC: 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
AT: nO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

adiosToreador [AT] blocked arsenicCatnip [AC]

Tavros dropped the messenger, screaming loud enough so that his cries resounded through the entire ventilation system. He curled up into a tight ball, feeling streams of warm tears flood down his face as he sobbed as hardly as he possibly could. Nepeta, Sollux, Equius... Aradia had found them. He hoped it was just him jumping to conclusions, but what else could have it been? She'd found them, she'd found them and now...He cried even harder, unable to believe this was happening. They were dead. They were dead, oh god, THEY WERE ALL DEAD.

What could he possibly do now?

What he always did; run. Run like the pathetic little coward he was. Run away as far he could, find a way off this meteor. He didn't know how, he didn't care how. He just had to get out. Tavros then remembered his lance. The situation seemed absolutely hopeless, so if he was going to die, why not end his life by his own hands? It would be quick, painless and easy... But it would be an act of sheer weakness.

He smacked himself hard in the face. He wasn't going to commit suicide, after all, was this what they would have wanted!? He wasn't going to prove Vriska right by taking the ultimate coward's way out. Tavros wiped his tears away, shaking his head. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting her. Though it couldn't be now; he was going to have to try and find Kanaya and Eridan, and then get Vriska. With all four of them, they'd surely stand a chance against Aradia, right? Eridan had his crosshairs, Kanaya had her chainsaw, and Vriska was god-tier! Aradia was just a robot. Why couldn't they beat her if they put their efforts to it?

Tavros smiled, wiping his nose as he felt his heart fill up with resolve. Retrieving the messenger, he then turned back, unsure as to where he was going. He just knew that he had to get as far away from that room as he could. He shook the thought away, backtracking to the cross-path. It took him some time to return there, and he constantly kept his ears perked up for that static. The vents remained quiet throughout, thankfully, and Tavros eventually wound back at the branching path with little complication. He then chose the right route this time, feeling his palms grow sore from constant contact with the cold metal below him. Eventually, he came across a grating, and looked through the slits down at another corridor. It appeared empty, which was his cue to kick the grating away and jump down. He looked around before then quickly retrieving his lance from the modus, keeping a tight grip on it.

That was when he noticed someone contacting him. Tavros froze still for a minute, and then quickly retrieved the messenger from his modus, checking to see who it was.

caligulasAquarium [CA] began trolling adiosToreador [AT]

CA: tavv its me  
CA: eri  
CA: are you still alivve or wwhatevver  
AT: eRIDAN,  
AT: oH GOD i NEVER THOUGHT i'D BE SO GLAD TO SEE YOU,  
CA: wwoah wwoah sloww dowwn there  
AT: wHERE'S uH, kANAYA,  
CA: wwell shes not wwith me  
CA: ran off cryin the moment wwe found the bodies  
CA: oh fef oh fef  
CA: if only id been there earlier  
AT: }:(  
AT: sO uH,  
AT: wHY ARE YOU ONLY CHOOSING TO CONTACT ME, nOW,  
CA: i followwed kan and wwas busy lookin for her  
CA: then the transportilizers got broken and i couldnt get back to the lab  
CA: tried contactin nep but i got no response  
CA: not surprisin though she nevver answwers me  
CA: evven after i savved her life  
CA: but wwhatevver wwhere are you  
AT: uH,  
AT: i HAVE NO IDEA, i WAS IN SOME VENTS EARLIER TRYING TO REACH,,,,  
AT: fUCK, fUCK,  
AT: tHEY'RE DEAD eRIDAN, tHEY'RE DEAD OH MY GOD,  
CA: wwhos dead  
CA: wwhat happened  
AT: eQUIUS, nEPETA, sOLLUX,  
AT: tHEY'RE ALL DEAD, sHE KILLED THEM,  
CA: oh my god  
CA: holy fuck this is bad  
CA: look tavv listen to me  
CA: i havve a plan and its our only chance to get out of this fuckin mess alivve  
AT: oH SO YOU'VE, uH, gOT A PLAN TOO, hUH,  
CA: i wwas actually thinkin of this before this any of this evven happened  
AT: uh, oKAY THEN,  
CA: you knoww that demon right  
AT: uMM, yES,  
AT: i'D REALLY RATHER NOT BE REMINDED OF HIM, iF YOU MIND,  
CA: no shut the fuck up and listen this is important  
CA: wwe all knoww that the demon is nigh invvincible right  
CA: okay so wwhy dont wwe just givve up tryin to fight him and just go join him instead  
AT: wHAT,  
AT: yOU CAN'T POSSIBLY BE SERIOUS,  
CA: wwhat other choice do wwe havve then hm  
CA: sit around like squawwkbeasts wwaitin for ara or the demon to come get us  
CA: if wwe offer ourselvves to him wwe can all fight against her dont you see  
AT: oH MY GOD, tHIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING,  
AT: eRIDAN, jUST,  
AT: tHINK, aBOUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING HERE,  
CA: ivve thought about this evver since i got my wwand tavv and  
CA: the situation is absolutely hopeless and you fuckin knoww it  
CA: youre either wwith me or your against me  
CA: damn shame if you arent you wwould havve made a fine henchman  
AT: oH, mY GOD, oH, oH MY GOD,  
CA: wwell tavv  
CA: you can either take a chance wwith me or die horribly  
CA: wwhats it gonna be  
AT: uH, eRIDAN,  
AT: tHIS,  
AT: tHIS IS INSANE,  
CA: youre insane for throwwin this opportunity awway you fuckin idiot shitblood  
CA: ivve killed enough angels to knoww wwhat im talkin about here  
CA: wwe stand no chance against the lord a all angels so wwe might as wwell try and get on his good side  
CA: wwhat other choice do wwe havve  
AT: oH, oH MY GOD,  
CA: wwhy did i evven fuckin think of contactin you wwere alwways one of the most wworthless members of our group  
CA: though your animal mind control could provve helpful later on so im givvin you one more chance here  
CA: but as i said before if youre not wwith me youre against me  
CA: wwait wwhats that noise  
AT: uH,  
CA: sounds like  
CA: honkin  
CA: im gonna check this out and contact you later  
CA: i hope youll make up your mind till then

caligulasAquarium [CA] ceased trolling adiosToreador [AT]

Tavros didn't like admitting it, but he hoped to god that Gamzee would have killed him off. He'd never wished death upon anyone before, and he really felt horrible about it, but god damn, Eridan was just absolutely insane and an unpleasant person in general. Joining the Demon?! He would be betraying the few of them left alive just for his own gain! It made him feel absolutely sick to his stomach, and a little bit angry.

He shook his head, sighing. Okay, maybe he didn't want Eridan dying, but he sure as hell didn't want to talk to him again. If he was contacted again, he'd just block him before the fish-face could even respond. He looked down at the messenger in his hands, tears forming as he remembered Nepeta, Equius and Sollux. Just who was left? If Kanaya hadn't died, then it would only be her and....

Vriska.

Tavros gulped, his hands shaking. Desperate times did call for desperate measures, but he really wanted to avoid any conversation with Vriska. She was a bad part of a bad chapter of his life that he'd have rather forgotten. Yet, she was one of the most, if not THE most, powerful member of their team. The only one to have reached god-tier, as Tavros was painfully aware of. She was their only chance to survive now, as much as he didn't like it. He needed to find he-

Nitram's train of thought was abruptly broken by the messenger lighting up. Guess Eridan managed to evade or even dispose of Gamzee, a prospect he found worrying. He'd just block him and get on his way. His mouth hung agape as he then saw that it was Equius contacting him. He hesitated, afraid it might have been Aradia again, but knew he had to answer in the one chance that he might have survived...

centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling adiosToreador [AT]

CT: Tavros Come In  
CT: Are You Still Alive  
AT: oH MY GOD eQUIUS i AM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU,  
AT: wAIT,  
AT: uHHHH, wHAT,  
AT: k, kANAYA,  
CT: Yes  
AT: kANAYA, oH, uM,  
AT: wELL i'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE ALIVE, tOO, bUT uH,  
AT: wHERE'S uH, eQUIUS, aND nEPETA, aND sOLLUX,  
CT: Nepeta And Equius Are Deceased  
CT: I Am Sorry  
AT: oH, oH GOD, oH NO,  
AT: }:'(  
AT: i, i WAS, uH, aFRAID OF THIS BUT,  
AT: i JUST DIDN'T WANT TO BELIEVE IT,  
CT: I Know Tavros  
CT: I Am Grieving Heavily As Well  
CT: In More Positive News However I Should Report That I Did Not Find Solluxs Body  
CT: So There Is A Possibility Though Slim That He Might Have Survived  
AT: tHAT'S GOOD TO HEAR,  
AT: i GUESS WE NEED TO, uH, fIND HIM THEN,  
AT: sO, wHERE ARE YOU,  
CT: I Am Presently In The Room Nepeta And Equius Shared  
AT: hUH, i WAS JUST MAKING MY WAY THERE,  
AT: uH, wHEN DID YOU GET THERE, eXACTLY,  
CT: Not More Than Ten Minutes Ago I Would Presume  
AT: aLRIGHT THEN, sTAY WHERE YOU ARE, pLEASE,  
AT: i SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE MY WAY BACK,  
AT: iN uH, aN HOUR, oR SO,  
CT: That Is Good To Hear  
CT: I Could Use Some Extra Help  
CT: This Room Is More Than Adequate For My Purposes  
AT: pURPOSES,,,  
ATL uHHHHHHH,  
AT: kANAYA WHAT,  
AT: wHAT aRE YOU TALKING ABOUT,  
CT: Well If You Must Know  
CT: I Have Taken It Upon Myself To Ensure That The Bodies Of Our Fallen Friends Are Restored To A Decent Condition  
AT: uHHHHHHHH,  
CT: I Dont See Whats Wrong With Wanting To Ensure Our Dead Friends Look Respectable  
AT: uH, kANAYA, aRE YOU, aLRIGHT,  
CT: I Am Fine Tavros  
CT: Im Simply Trying My Best To Fix Our Friends  
CT: They Might Be Dead But That Does Not Mean They Should Remain Mutilated  
CT: They Deserve Better  
CT: To Look Decent And Respectable  
CT: I Just Want Them To Be Whole Again Tavros  
CT: I Am Sorry I Just Need A Few Seconds  
AT: uHHHHHHH,  
CT: Anyway Ive Already Managed To Gather The Bodies Of Karkat And Terezi Into The Room  
CT: It Took Some Time And Unfortunately I Had To Leave Poor Feferi Behind  
CT: Though I Will Retrieve Her Later  
CT: This Is Why An Extra Hand Would Be Most Welcome  
AT: uHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,  
CT: Is There Something The Matter  
AT: kANAYA, tHIS IS uH,  
AT: tHIS IS COMPLETELY DERANGED,  
CT: Excuse Me  
AT: yOU'RE cRAZY,  
CT: What Are You Implicating There Is Nothing Insane About This  
CT: There Is Nothing Insane About Wanting To Ensure Our Dead Friends Look Decent  
CT: This Is The Least I Could Do For Them  
AT: yOU'RE uH, yOU'RE DRAGGING CORPSES AROUND, aND DOING WHO KNOWS WHAT TO THEM,  
AT: lOOK i, uH, i, i JUST DON'T WANT ANY PART OF THIS, i'M, uH, i'M SORRY i JUST DON'T,  
CT: Be That Way Then Tavros

centaursTesticle [CT] blocked adiosToreador [AT]

Tavros ran a hand through his hair, dropping his lance as he paced around the room in shock. Was everyone losing their minds? Aradia, Gamzee, Eridan and now Kanaya!? He just did not know how to react. He did know that Kanaya wasn't going to talk to him now. At least she wasn't looking to hurt anyone, but still. This was all just *really* creepy, and he would rather have no part of it. He looked towards his right, noticing the corridor ahead of him. He didn't know what to do now; he wasn't going to head to Kanaya and join in on her weird corpse gatherings, but he couldn't just leave her, could he?

He sighed, leaning against a wall while he bent down to pick up his lance, idly staring at it for some time. He'd explore further, think on things a bit. This was just so much to take in... Looking towards the right, he eventually moved onwards, cautiously raising his lance as he crossed through the corridor. Eventually, he made his way out into a large room, containing numerous large vats which held strange creatures in time; strange fusions of their lusii and chess-piece monsters. Tavros gasped out in awe, walking towards a jar containing a serpentine beast, which had fairy wings like his Lusus, Tinkerbull, did. Seeing this made him feel depressed, and his eyes began to water as he remembered the old days, from before this game, hell even from before he knew Vriska....

Vriska.

He stared down at the messenger, gritting his teeth as he thought about her once more. Kanaya wasn't in the right state of mind to help, and he had no idea where Sollux was or and he even had access to any contacting tech, so the only person left to talk to was her. As much as he didn't like it. He gazed at the messenger for some time, nervous about having to contact her, but knowing full well he had no other choice.

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling arachnidsGrip [AG]

AT: vRISKA,  
AT: aRE ARE YOU THERE,  
AG: Tavros?!  
AG: You're still alive?! Holy shit!  
AT: yES, i AM STILL ALIVE,  
AT: sO FAR,  
AG: I am legitim8ly shocked here.  
AT: uH, tHANKS FOR THE COMPLEMENT, i gUESS,  
AG: Well, did you meet anyone else?  
AG: You couldn't have possi8bly lasted this long on your own.  
AT: nO, iT'S JUST ME,  
AT: tHOUGH uH, i DID SPEAK TO eRIDAN,  
AT: sUFFICE TO SAY HE'S GONE OFF THE DEEP END,  
AT: sO HAVE uH, gAMZEE, aND kANAYA,  
AT: tHOUGH SHE'S NOT REALLY A THREAT, i THINK,  
AG: Ugh, Kanaya.  
AG: I already contacted her 8efore.  
AG: We talked for a 8it, then she just snapped at me when I scolded her for dragging away those 8odies!  
AG: Just what the hell is she thinking?! Stupid Maryam!  
AG: Fuck, just l8t Aradia g8t her for 8ll I care!!!!!!!!  
AT: uHHHHHH,  
AG: 8ut forget a8out her, where the hell are you?  
AT: uM,  
AT: wELL, i DON'T REALLY KNOW,  
AT: i'M BY SOME VATS, sOMEWHERE,  
AG: Reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaal helpful there, Nitram.  
AT: wELL uM, wHERE ARE YOU,  
AG: Fine, I don't know either!  
AG: I wandered around looking for Aradia, going through all these 8oring corridors and vents...  
AG: Now I'm in some room that's got all these jars with these weirdo monsters in them.  
AT: hUH,  
AT: tHAT'S FUNNY,  
AT: i'M IN A ROOM WITH SOME JARS TOO,  
AG: Hmmmmmmmm.  
AG: Well come on, more details!  
AT: uH, uM, tHERE'S LIKE FOUR OR FIVE OF THEM,  
AT: aND uH, tHE ROOM IS PRETTY BIG, sO THERE MIGHT BE MORE, i THINK,  
AT: iT'S ALSO SORT OF DARK,  
AG: Ugh, this isn't helping.  
AG: What a8out some of the creatures? What do they look like?  
AT: uH, wHY DON'T YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE ROOM, yOU'RE IN,  
AG: I asked you first!  
AT: oH, rIGHT, uH, wHATEVER, i GUESS,  
AG: Uuuuuuuuugggggggghhhhhhh, Tavros!!!!!!!!  
AT: fINE, fINE, uM,  
AT: wELL uH, oNE OF THE CREATURES LOOKS LIKE A SERPENT, wITH WINGS LIKE MY LUSUS,  
AG: Really? Are you sure?  
AT: yEAH, i MEAN i'M uH, rIGHT BEHIND IT,  
AG: .......  
AT: uH, wHAT, wHAT IS IT,  
AG: Tavros, hold on a minute.  
AT: oKAAAAY,  
AG: There.  
AG: Did you hear that?  
AT: yEAH, yEAH i HEARD SOMETHING,  
AT: hOLY SHIT,

adiosToreador [AT] ceased trolling arachnidsGrip [AG]

Tavros shook his head, shocked at the fact that Vriska might have been in the room with him. What luck! His suspicions were further confirmed when he heard her voice call for him. Pocketing the messenger, he hurried towards it, running past the vats and making his way towards a figure in the distance, which was unmistakably Vriska. He froze still, watching quietly as she approached him. The grip on his lance tightened further the closer she got. She looked just as surprised to see him, her eyes widening in shock as she moved in to get a better look at him. She was dressed in her god-tier outfit, her cerulean wings and hood lowered down. They stood in awkward silence, watching each other carefully for some time, both equally shocked at the unlikely encounter. He wasn't sure how to react to this. He was not sure at all.

Vriska eventually broke the tense quiet, her voice low;

"Soooooooo, what now?"

A single 'uh' was all Tavros could muster out. Vriska approached him, which drew him to take several steps back. It wasn't like he was happy to see her, of all people... But then, he knew he needed her. They needed to work together if they were going to get out of this.

"Well, uh...I was, um, thinking that we should uh, team up and work together, to confront Aradia..."

Vriska blinked, shaking her head slightly, before then responding in a tone of disbelief;

"Reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaally!? You? Help me??!!"

"U-um, yes, that is uh, w-what I s-said..."

Vriska chortled out slightly, causing Tavros to clench a fist, feeling angry for the first time in quite a long while. They were practically the only two 'sane' trolls left, and here she was laughing at him for daring to suggest they work together to survive?

How dare she?!

"Look, Vriska. I won't... I won't uh, stand for this, alright?"

Vriska began to laugh even harder, finding the irony in his statement absolutely hilarious.

"P-practically all of our friends are, are d-d-dead and... and you're here laughing?! You, you b-b-bitch, d-don't you understand how serious t-this is?!"

She soon grew silent, looking up with a serious expression on her face. It wasn't one of anger however, but of realization.

"Fuck. Fuck, you're right..."

"... But just *how* could you help *me*?! I mean, I'm god-tier, I've got all of the luck! And you're... Seriously, what could you even do to help?!"

Tavros gazed down at his robotic feet. She did have a point; what could he do? His animal powers wouldn't be of any use here, unless they could awaken the animals somehow, and his lance probably wasn't sharp enough to pierce Aradia's thick robot shell....

"W-well, yes, I don't know h-how I could help. B-but I um, I know one thing... I'm tired of r-running. It's all I-I've e-ever done and I-I, I am s-sick of it."

"I'm sick of r-running away from my p-problems, Vriska. I'm, uh, sick of being a c-coward and I want to h-help fight, alright?"

Even with the embarrassing stuttering, Tavros tried his hardest to put an air of seriousness to his voice. It worked well enough, for Vriska appeared absolutely taken aback. Once again, they did nothing but stare at each other for some time in total silence. It was very awkward for the both of them, but then again, their entire relationship had been nothing but awkwardness and pain.

Eventually, Vriska broke the silence again:

"Fine then, tag along! I think I might have an idea of where Aradia currently is. If you want to get yourself killed following me, be my guest!"

Tavros nodded, tightening the grip on his lance. Vriska then turned around, moving towards a door leading into a hallway outside of the room. He sighed out audibly, still shaky in how confident this teamwork would last, but eventually followed in her wake. They went on in silence, winding through twisting hallways and lengthy corridors with dim lighting. Vriska barely acknowledged his presence in that time, occasionally looking back only to ensure that Tavros was still following. He too was quiet, not wanting to say anything. He really didn't enjoy being anywhere near her, and it showed. Though they must have only been walking for about half and hour or so, it felt much, much longer. Tavros tried not too pay too much attention to her, but found he just couldn't take his eyes off those wings. As much as he despised admitting it, he did think they were, well, really goddamned beautiful. Like something from one of his fairy posters in his old hive, back during younger, better days. Those lovely wings being attached to such a wretched bitch, was a joke he didn't find very funny.

He noticed Vriska had just stopped, her head hung down. They were still following a corridor, so and he couldn't see anything odd ahead of them. He raised an eyebrow, perplexed at this. She then suddenly spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically somber in tone,

"I miss them, Tavros...."

He was taken aback, stuttering nervously as he thought on what to say. Was she pulling his leg here? She was one for pulling cruel jokes on him, but this might have been much even for Serket.

"Uh, I, I uh... I miss them too, Vriska."

She just continued walking. Tavros didn't know how to react.

Neither of them said a single thing as they continued moving forward, eventually reaching out into a large, empty room with dim red lighting. He shivered a bit, finding the room to be pretty creepy. Vriska didn't seem perturbed, placing one hand on her hips as she stroked her chin with the other. Eventually, she then clicked her fingers, and pointed towards the northwest, to a closed metal door.

"Now I remember!" she spoke out, her shrill voice echoing throughout the empty room.

"This was where I heard the static. It was also where I found the body."

"B-body?!" Tavros gasped out, shaking his head in shock. Vriska snickered a bit, finding pleasure in his discomfort.

"Yeah, Captor's. Seems Aradia finally caught up with him, though he did manage to get pretty far. It was pretty gross! She's really gotten a lot more vicious and brutal, huh?"

Noticing Tavros's expression grow further horrified, she began to grin further, before then turning around and heading towards the door. He stood in shock for a minute or so, before shaking his head and running to catch up with her. They both exited the room, entering into a dark hallway. The first thing Tavros noted were the trails of yellow blood covering the walls. He took several steps back, holding his mouth with one hand as he raised his lance up higher. Vriska punched his shoulder, beckoning him to suck it up and get in. He reluctantly complied, and tried his best not to vomit as both they followed the blood.

He wasn't so successful once they came across the body, however.

Sollux lay on his back just by another door, his arms outstretched, as if he'd attempted to crawl towards it. Aradia really had been brutal with him; there was a massive gaping hole in back, and parts of his spinal cord were visible. His legs were twisted in gruesome angles, and he was absolutely soaked with blood, which completely sprayed the walls and door. The worst thing however was how fresh the body seemed; he couldn't have been dead for more than an hour. Vriska was already familiar with the sight, but Tavros just couldn't contain himself, and so vomited all over his metallic feet. He was surprised to find Vriska didn't deride him for having such a weak gut, though she did seem rather unamused. Shaking her head, she walked towards the door, carelessly stepping over Sollux's corpse. Tavros was almost surprised at how carelessly she disregarded his death, but then he remembered this was Vriska. Maybe she really didn't miss any of them? Tavros clenched his teeth, trying to forget about her. What mattered now was surviving; they'd go face Aradia, try and beat her, and then...and then what? What would they do after? He shook the thought off. It was really better to not think on that now.

Tavros then focused his attention back to Vriska, who was motionlessly standing by the door, her hand hovering over the handle. She looked almost hesitant to open the door.

"Uh, so, are you sure Aradia's b-behind there?"

Vriska turned back to stare at him, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head,

"No. I already searched that room before, but then I got bored flying around the chasm and turned back. Who knows though, she might not have gone too far."

He nodded once more, and then took a nervous glance behind him. Vriska then moved back to the door, opening it up and stepping into the other room. Tavros followed shortly, stepping over Sollux's body and staring at it before shaking his head and exiting the room with her. They entered into a vast, empty room with a high ceiling, various ventilation shafts dotted on the walls. One of them was lowered to the ground towards the left, and was already opened, suggesting this might have been where Sollux had crawled out from. There was a massive chasm several feet ahead of them, which Vriska stepped towards, stretching her wings and grinning slightly. Tavros followed her, longingly staring at her wings. Being able to fly on Prospit and on his rocket-chair were some of the best experiences of his life, and he missed it all terribly. Being able to walk again was cool, yeah, but it could never compare to flying.

"So, uh... What do we do now?" he asked, curious as to why Vriska had brought them here. She just shrugged.

"We look around further, I guess. I actually came up here from that chasm; there's nothing down there but more boring vents!"

"Yeah, um, vent crawling is uh, a rather dull experience, as I can attest..."

Vriska just sighed, moving towards the chasm and seating herself by the edge of the gap, kicking her legs out. She remained quiet for a few minutes, apparently thinking on something. Tavros just stood behind, unsure as to what was up with her.

Eventually, she spoke again, not even bothering to turn back and look at him,

"Fine, fine! I don't know what to do, okay!?"

Her honesty took him by total surprise.

"I thought Aradia would have returned here by now, but that was dumb wasn't it? I just really have no idea where she could have gone or what she's doing. All I want to do is find her already. I'm sure she wouldn't even be that much of a problem with my powers."

"And then I find you by sheer accident, after I was certain you were dead, suddenly deciding to man up and tag along! I still can't believe it."

Tavros didn't know whether to be offended or honored by that. Perhaps if it had been coming from anyone else... He shook his head, rubbing his face with his free hand. As he remembered the room with the jars in them, an idea suddenly came to him,

"Look uh, Vriska... Let's just go back, alright? Maybe we can figure out a way to uh, wake up those creatures in the vats. I could, like uh, maybe use my powers to recruit them for help?"

Vriska turned back to look at him, wide-eyed.

"That's........ That's actually a pretty good idea, Nitram."

He nodded, smiling happily. Maybe this partnership could work. She promptly got up, raising her hood up and moving ahead of Tavros, always wanting to be in the lead. He didn't mind that much; at least they were actually cooperating well enough! His smile faded the instant he heard the very faint sounds of crackling static coming from the door.

"....Uh, u-uh uh, uhhh, V-v-vrisk-ka..."

They both exchanged nervous glances. Neither moved for what felt like ages, though it was Vriska that finally had the courage to step forward and check the noises. He saw her reach for her dice-set. He gripped his lance as tightly, his heart beating rapidly with anxiety as he felt himself shaking. The sounds only grew louder and louder.

She was here. This was it.

The static almost seemed to have been drowned out by his heart pounding intensely in his ear-drums. Tavros's chest felt constrained, barely able to breathe while he felt his entire body continue to shake harder and harder. He noticed Vriska seemed to have been trying to hide her nervousness as well, but he knew she was scared of her as well. The beating she gave her pre god-tier... It was a traumatizing experience for the both of them, to say the least. Even haughty Serket knew her place with Aradia. After what felt like hours of standing still in horrified readiness, the door's handle finally began to move slightly. Tavros's grip was sweaty and shaky, but he tried his best to hold on as tightly as he possibly could. The static was at its loudest now, and it only reminded him of when Feferi was being brutally murdered. Was that to be their fate? He would try his hardest to ensure it wouldn't. Opening the door, Aradia slowly glided in, hovering above the ground and remaining totally silent save for the deafening static coming from her. Vriska took a few steps back, fondling the dice in her hands and stifling back a gasp.

Tavros didn't hold back his screaming.

It wasn't the layers of colored blood that had disturbed him the most, even if it was still a horrifying sight to see. No, despite the splatters of crimson, teal, blue and green all over her arms and torso, gruesome trophies from the friends she had methodically and systematically hunted down, something else about the Aradiabot horrified Tavros...

Her eyes.

Instead of the glowing red eyes Equius had installed, (which Tavros already found disturbing enough) they had now become pitch-black pits, which oozed dark oily 'tears'. Staring into them filled Tavros with a sense of absolutely horrifying dread, like she was somehow piercing through into his soul. Another aspect he fond most unnerving was that her mouth had simply vanished, with a blank space where it should have been. Where the static was emanating from was a total mystery, one he would rather have not known the answer to. The rest of her body had already taken on a rather rusty looking brown sheen, which couldn't have been possibly caused by the amounts of blood covering her. Most disturbing of all, however, was the fact that she had looked nothing like this back during the lab.

The Aradiabot remained totally still, only turning its head to 'stare' at the both of them. Vriska tried her best to keep her composure, though wasn't able to stop herself from shaking nervously. Tavros meanwhile, had been reduced to a pale, shaking, nervous mess, and would have likely soiled himself on the spot were he still capable of doing so. Only Vriska had the courage to step right in front of Aradia, gritting her teeth and trying her hardest to not show any hesitation or nervousness. She reached for her dice, preparing for a roll. Tavros only watched anxiously, too afraid to move in fear of doing something wrong or interfering; she could handle Aradia on her own, right? She practically was a god now! All of the luck, and all that. Vriska herself was feeling very confident, grinning widely as she prepared to roll. 

Oh, she could definitely handle a dumb old robot!

Without giving her any time to react, Aradia suddenly speeded towards her, delivering a kick to the gut that forcefully pushed her back several feet. The dice scattered out of her grasp, rendering the roll invalid by some cruel twist of fate. She then punched Vriska hard in the face, causing her glasses to spin off and fall down towards the chasm. Tavros dropped his lance, screaming in terror and only able to watch helplessly as Aradia began savagely and violently punching her down, showing absolutely no mercy. Vriska struggled uselessly against her opponent's vastly superior robot strength, clawing at the metal and screaming out to Tavros to help. He remained totally frozen with fear, only continuing to watch Aradia viciously maul her down.

Aradia was even more brutal than back during their previous confrontation, bashing and punching Vriska down as cerulean blood spraying everywhere. She feebly attempted to break free from her grasp, trying her best to crawl towards the dice, but was promptly yanked back by Aradia pulling at her hair. The Aradiabot proceeded then to effortlessly throw Vriska's entire body towards the chasm with the utmost ease. She landed by the very edge of the gap, but a few feet away from plummeting away. Tavros meanwhile, had backed off into a corner and was sobbing pathetically, his cries drowned out by the now deafening static.

Vriska attempted to get up, clutching her sides and limping towards the Aradiabot as she painfully continued to bleed, her orange god-tier clothes stained cerulean. One of her wings had been torn, which had been extremely agonizing. She also felt a few of her ribs break, causing her breaths to be ragged and pained as she continued holding onto her chest, blood continuing to seep through. Aradia hovered a few feet away from her, drenched in blood and carefully 'watching' as her opponent inched closer. Vriska exchanged a glance at Tavros, screaming at him to get up and help her, but he was unresponsive; rocking back and forth on his robotic knees and sobbing pitifully like a small child. So much for no longer wanting to be a coward!

Too distracted by cursing Tavros out for his total uselessness, Vriska didn't notice Aradia before it was already too late. Another punch to the stomach brought Serket to her knees, coughing out blood while waves of pain came over her. Collapsing onto the ground, she faced the realization that she was completely powerless against her. Vriska wouldn't have time to dwell on it, however, for at that moment Aradia picked her up by the cuff of her shirt, raising her up into the air until their faces were level to each other. She could only watch as Aradia then quickly punched her through the gut, her arm breaking through her stomach and emerging out through her back. He watched in total horror, their combined screaming drowned out by the static, which seemed to have somehow grown even *louder*. Vomiting out a large spray of cobalt blood, Vriska's body eventually grew still, once flailing arms and legs now totally limp. Her eyes remained opened, dully staring right past Aradia at Tavros, who was now screaming as much as his lungs could physically allow it.

She was dead.

Raising Vriska above her head, the crackling static serving as her victorious battle-cry, she then stepped over towards the chasm and threw the body down, Vriska Serket's carcass falling uselessly into the great abyss below. Watching this, Tavros soon stopped screaming, feeling his mind grow completely numb in shock.

She was dead. He had just sat there, crying. He had let her die. She was dead, and it was his fault.

He let her die.

A not-so-small part of him, perhaps, maybe, wanted her dead, as awful as he felt about admitting it. But he knew that if The Thief of Light, the strongest of their team and the only god-tier, could be killed so effortlessly... Then all hope was lost. It was over.

It was all over.

Eventually getting up after what felt like ages, Tavros had to stop himself from vomiting again, focusing his attention on Aradia. She was blankly gazing into the darkness below, the static coming from her having grown at it's loudest it. It was bad enough now that he almost felt as if his ears would split, and a part of him honestly hoped they would, since it would mean no longer having to hear that horrible noise. He quickly reached for his lance, his eyes noticing the splatters of blue blood all over the floor. Tears continued streaming down his face, the grip on his lance uncontrollably shaky.

As Aradia turned to greet him, the static instantly stopped. That was when he noticed her body began to flicker. Yes, flicker; like she some sort of glitched film-projection, the Aradiabot's body was flickering. He rubbed his eyes with a free hand, unable to believe what he was seeing. This couldn't be happening... Yet it was. Aradia continued to flicker rapidly, her form growing more distorted and warped until it took on a very different appearance. Tavros took several steps back, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

No longer was she a robot; somehow, Aradia had changed into a living body once more, dressed in a red outfit reminiscent of Vriska's god-tier clothes, though with numerous differences, such as the symbol, which was resembled a dark red gear of some sort. The beauty of her maroon wings was completely marred by the many grotesque dark holes dotting them, yet the most disturbing aspect of this bizarre transformation was her face; her eyes were completely blank white, serving to be even more disturbing than the black pits, and the red tears dripping from them didn't help matters. Her lipstick was smushed up, droplets of blood oozing down from her grinning mouth and in-between rows of jagged, strangely clean teeth. Aradia raised a bandaged hand up, pointing right at Tavros and beckoning him nearer, before then lowering her thumb and moving it across her neck.

She was mocking him.

Tavros screamed, shutting his eyes as more tears streamed down. Raising the lance, he then suddenly charged towards her, screaming out all the while. He didn't care if he was going to die. He was going to die fighting. He wasn't just some coward... Some wimp. That's all he ever was his entire life, a wimp. A weak, worthless little wimp. Alas, his triumphant charge was cut short by Aradia promptly slapping him across the face. The lance flew out of his grasp, but was promptly retrieved by Aradia, who held Tavros up as she then pushed the lance right through his chest. Tavros could only hear his heart beat as the world around him seemed to slow, acutely feeling the sharp pain now surging through his body. Aradia then shoved him off towards the chasm, giggling in a strange, high-pitched voice that sounded as if it had been filtered through a broken radio.

As he fell, the last thought on his mind before the world around him turned dark was that of Aradia's once warm and comforting smile, back during their old bygone FLARPing days...

**Author's Note:**

> I finally uploaded this 
> 
> #wow #woah
> 
> I did not design Aradia's appearance(s) here , and I'm afraid I don't know who did. These two edits are what she was based off, and are also pretty much what inspired the fic in general:
> 
> http://imgur.com/MBAs7.png  
> http://i.imgur.com/I2Fjb.png


End file.
